Networked computes and appliances are used to transmit and fetch information to and from local sources (e.g., computers used in a business) and remote sources (e.g., enterprise services offered over the internet). The networked computers are typically owned and controlled by a wide variety of businesses, educational institutions, and individual users. The users of the networked computers can have a wide range of experience from beginner to expert levels, and can have differing levels of expertise (or lack thereof) within various categories of computer technologies.
Configuration, administration, and diagnosis of the networked computers can be accomplished by both local and remote administrators using an administration program. Providing remote administration allows, for example, a remote administrator to administer a system when sufficient expertise may be unavailable at a local level.
Further, the use of a common administration program allows the system to be managed both remotely and locally in the same way. For example, configuration files do not have to be maintained separately (or translated) for separate programs. Also, software development and deployment can be eased by using the same program on both local and remote systems. Additionally, a common user interface can be used which eases the learning curve and operating effort expended by administrators who manage both remote and local system.
Because the administration program can be used by a local user and/or a remote system administrator to configure the system, ports are opened and exposed that allow external processes to control the system. For example, when a local user logs in to administer (or diagnose) a local system, a local web administrator process is invoked (which the local user can use to administer or diagnose the system). If the local user did not log in having root authority, the local web administrator process can be (unintentionally) left running when a local user does not manually shutdown the local web administrator process. Because the local web administrative process contains exposed ports, a security risk exists that can allow an unauthorized process to try to exploit the open ports. This problem can be compounded by novice local administrators who do not appreciate the risks of leaving the local web administration process running with exposed ports and who forget to manually close the local web administration process.